Oh the adorable 1-2 year old little ones. They are in between the baby and older toddler phrase. At times, their snuggles remind you of those precious newborn snuggles. In the next breath, they are showing you all the lovely independence and spunk of a true toddler.
As rapidly as moods and interest change, so does their speech and language development. But what does that mean?
I am a SLP and I am also a mama to two little ones. Being a mother to two littles means that I, too, get those emails titled "Is your child talking?", "How to promote language development", and I click...a little personal and professional curiosity. I appreciate the information shared about speech/language development, but often it is not shared that typical speech/language development may not happen the same for all children. There are general guidelines for expected mastery of speech/language milestones and typical speech/language development, but there is also a range that is considered average and appropriate for developing these milestones.
The information I'm sharing below is from reputable sites all listed at the bottom of this post. What I want to emphasize is that this information shared and most information you read regarding speech and language development shares expectations; however, it is important to note that there is a range of development that is considered to be within the average range. Your child may not do all the milestones listed for a 1 year old on the day of their first birthday, but continue with your support and creating a language rich environment, and a child with typically developing speech/language will develop these skills in the coming months. Ok to the good stuff...
Around the age of 1 a child should:
- Respond to a sound by looking and/or turning in the direction of the sound
- Respond to his/her name by turning body or looking
- Understand familiar words (mama, daddy, food, milk)
- Play reciprocal games (peek-a-boo, drumming games)
- Listen to story and songs (maybe not in their entirety, but in part)
- Look at something when a communication partner points
- Point to items to show a communication partner
- Use long babbles
- Use vocalizations and gestures to get and keep attention
- Use gestures to communication such as waving hi
- Imitate speech sounds
- Say 1 word phrases
1-2 year old speech and language development. During this year a child should:
- Start to identify body parts by pointing when asked and can name them (even if the sounds are not clear)
- Answer simple questions with gestures or simple responses
- Ask questions like "What's that?" "Who?" "Where?"
- Follow 1-part directions ("Give it to mommy")
- Point to pictures in books when the reader names them
- Name pictures in books
- Use pronounsI, it
- Use the -ing form of verbs (running, drinking, sleeping)
- Understanding and use of concepts: in, on, up, down, under
- Use a lot of new words
- Starts to put two words together in phrases
- Clearly articulate (say) the sounds p, b, m, h, and w in words
- Be able to be understood approximately 25%-50% of the time by his/her communication partner
- Gesture for greetings (waving hi and bye)
- Enjoy making someone laugh and repeat the actions that made the person laugh
- Participate in parallel play
- When children play next to each other
- Verbal-turn taking (the beginning of conversation)
- Participate in simple pretend play (making food in a kitchen, talking on a phone, feeding a baby)
- Imitate adult intonation with words, phrases, and babbling
- Attend to a book for approximately 2 minutes
- At this age, their attention is equal to about 1 minute for each year. So a 2 year old could be expected to have a 2 minute attention to a task.
- Recognize familiar books by their covers
- Listen to simple songs, rhymes, and stories
- Participates in the reading action by turning pages, pointing to pictures, and labeling pictures.
- Pretends to read
I cannot emphasize enough that there is a range of time in which it is considered average for a child to develop these speech/language skills. The important thing is that you are observing your child's skills grow and continue to grow each month. If you have a concern, talk to your pediatrician, a Speech Language Pathologist, or please reach out to me.
Be sure to check back soon for a post on ways to FUNctionally support developing speech and language skills.
XOXO,
Julianne
Resources:
https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Speech-and-Language/
https://speechhearing.columbian.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs1996/f/downloads/Milestonesguide.pdf
https://www.asha.org/public/early-identification-of-speech-language-and-hearing-disorders/
Website for "Learn the Signs. Act Early":
Website for free materials/books: